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I know quite a few people with it, one of them in my family. There are medications for it, usually anti-depressants (SSRIs-selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). They're pretty sure OCD is caused by an imbalance of serotonin in the brain, so that's why the anti-depressants are effective. The most common ones are Prozac, Paxil, or Celexa.
The difference between just being a bit quirky/organized/neat and being genuinely OCD is a matter of degree. OCD consists of two parts: obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are recurrent and usually unwanted thoughts that you can't get rid of. Compulsions are the acts that are done to relieve the anxiety caused by the obsession. Example: Tom obsesses about the stove being off before he leaves the house. That's his obsession. Therefore he turns it on and off 5 times every morning. That's his compulsion. The person realizes it's irrational and time consuming, but can't stop it. It's rational to make your bed every morning or vacuum 3 times a week. It's not rational to spend 30 minutes making your bed each morning or vacuuming 3 times a day. If you're going to be diagnosed, the doctor is going to ask how much time in a day these thoughts and actions take up. If it's at least an hour a day, then that's a definite sign that something is wrong.
There's also something called obsessive compulsive personality disorder. A person with this is going to be preoccupied with order, lists, and perfection; very rigid in their daily habits (absolutely has to eat breakfast at 8:30, or something like that) and somewhat of a workaholic. What differentiates this from OCD is that it's more of a lifelong pervasive thing. Some OCD people are actually somewhat sloppy in the non obsessive aspects of their life. People with OCPD are not.
I hope this helps.
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